Heater



July 7, 1936. L, 6;, ER 2,046,660

HEATER I Filed May 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l L E 5 i0 e. anzer 6% 6/.

July 7, 1936. SPENCER 2,046,660

HEATER Filed May 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 12 Inven or I LlefE. PM Z7 Afibme, s

Patented July 7, 1936 HEATER Lyle E. Spencer, Chicago, 111., assignor to Holland Furnace Company, Holland, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application May 20, 1935, Serial No. 22,296

40mins; (01. 219-29 This invention relates to a demonstrating heater, which is for use primarily for the purpose of demonstrating the efliciency and utility of the motor driven fan attachment to and in 6 the upper portion of a warm air furnace casing, so that the heated air produced by the furnace is more rapidly withdrawn from the casing and forced into the room or rooms to be heated. The device is also of utility as a room heater, the

' same being useful for the generationand production of heated air which may be forced into a room to mingle with the other air therein and reduce its temperature, thereby acting to produce the same result as small electric heaters do in warming a room or other relatively small space on cool mornings when it is not desirable or necessary to build a fire in a heating plant to heat an entire house.

The invention for the attainment of the objects stated, as well as many others not enumerated, may be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the ac- I companying drawings, in which, i

Fig. 1 is a front elevationof the device made in accordance with my invention.

I a Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially onthe plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, that is, the sec-. tion is taken on substantially two planes at right angles to each other.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section substantially on the plane of the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of. the device show,- -ing the electrical connections and switches for controlling the heating coil and the motor which drives the fan.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in ,the different figures of the drawings. 1

The device illustrated is made in simulation of a hot air furnace but in small size and with many modifications in structure. It includes an outer sheet metal casing I, open at its upper end within which, extending from near the open upper end downwardly for themajor portion of the 45 vertical height of the casing, is a sheet metal cylindrical member 2 -or inner casing spaced from the casing I and connected thereto by means of spaced apart bracket supports 3, there by providing a continuous annular vertical flue'4 50 between the outer casing I and the inner casing 2. The bottom of the outside casing I is closed by a base which in structure includes upper and lower sheet metal plates 5 and 6 separated by a strata of heat insulatingmaterial 'I. This base 55 isheld inthe lower continuous. convex head 8 shown as formed at the extreme lower end of the outer casing I. r At one side of the outer casing I, and corresponding with the front of a furnace there may be supplied the usual fire door at 9, the ash pit 5 door and draft at I0 and the clean out door II, the latter being located above the fire door 9 and at a position similar to the clean out on a furnace, in which access is obtained to the furnace radiator for removingsoot, dust, ashes and the 10 like. At opposed sides of the furnace casing and in a plane substantially at right angles of the front of the furnace casing I, are the boots l2 of the form shown which have air entrance sleeves 13 at their upper ends, whereby air pass- 15 ing into the boots may thence pass through openings I4 in casing Ito the interior of said casing, the air" being screened, preferably, by screens I5 which are mounted, one in each boot,

so as to cover the openings I4 and are retained 2 therein at their lower edges between the casing I and suitable brackets I6, as shown.

The door II previously described closes a substantially cylindrical member. I'I bolted or otherwise secured to the casing. Directly back of the 5 member I! a thermometer holder is located which includesa sleeve I8 of thin metal having one side extended at I9, which at its free end is .turned at right angles to make a stop 20. The

front end of the sleeve I8 has foot extensions 2I for mounting the thermometer holder by t e same bolts which are used to secure the member H in place. A thermometer 22 may be inserted through this holder as shown inFig. 2 until its .inner end strikes thestop 20.

It is evident that 35 the inner casing 2 is provided with an opening for the passage of the holder I8, as shown in Fig. 2.

At thelower central portion of the device a coil 23 of suitable resistance wire is mounted 40 upon a suitable support, indicated at 24, and located so that its axis is substantially coincident with'the vertical axis of the casings I and 2. Wires 25 for carrying electric current are associated with the coil 23 and are connected to a plug fixture 26 mounted at one side and near the lower end of the outer casing I. A switch 21 is-interposed in the length of one of the wires 25 and may be manually operated from outside the casing I (see Fig. 4) to either make or break the circuit supplying electric current to the .coil23.

The upper end of the casing l is designed to be closed by a detachable dome structure of sheet metal having annular downwardly and outwardly inclined sides 28 and a top 29 of sheet metal, the lower edge portions 33 of the sides 28 fitting over the upper end portions of the outside casing l. A plurality of outlets with sleeve extensions 2801. are made around the sides 28 of the dome for the escape of heated air.

A bracket support is mounted on the underside of and depends from the top 29 as shown. It comprises a bar having a middle horizontal section 3| from which spaced apart legs 32 extend upwardly until the top 29 is reached, whereupon they are bent inwardly to conform to said top and secured thereto. A small electric motor 33 is mounted on and carried above the horizontal portion 3| of the support, its shaft extending vertically above the motor and being equipped with a fan 34 as shown, said fan being free to rotate within a bafiie plate 34a .(see Fig. 2).. Wires 35 properly connect with the motor and lead to a plug fixture 36 mounted at one portion of theside 28 of the dome. A suitable manually operable switch 31 is interposed in the length of one of the wires 35, and may be operated (Fig. 4) at the outside of the dome to make or break thecircuit for ,electric current to and through the motor. From the connections 26 and 36, Wires 38 and.39 lead to a junction member 40, from which .a single cable 4! extends and connects with a plug 42 adapted to .be detachably connected with a wall or other socket such as is usual in connecting the smaller electrical appliances used in households.

In operation the plug 42 is connected with a wall .or light socket, and the switch 21 is operated so that electric current passes through the resistance coil v23. The coil becomes highly heated or to a red heat approximating l100 or 1200 F., and heats the air within the casings l and 2 to a high degree of temperature. The inner sides of the casings I and 2 are preferably of a'reflecting characten Also these casings, particularly the casing 2, reaches a high temperature and heats the air in the annular flue 4 so that the same has a tendency to rise and pass outwardly through the outlets 28a. After the air has become heated the switch 31 is operated so as to start the fan in movement, whereupon the air is drawn upwardly and forced outwardly through said outlets 28a and a large volume'of heated air is moved. The switch 21 may be operated to break its current prior to the opening of the switch 37 whereupon, even if the coil 23 ceases to heat the air, the air will nevertheless be heated by the temperature of the walls of the device, and all of the heat utilized in heating air.

In demonstrating the utility and efficiency of the fan for use in a furnace, the difference in the rate of movement or passage of the air through the outlets 28a may be readily observed by contrasting the outward passage of heated air when the fan is at rest and when it is being driven by the motor. The thermometer 2-2 is also demonstrative of the fact that without the fan operating the temperature reached within the heater reaches a very high figure, but that such high temperature is reduced very materially upon the fan being started in operation and during the time that it continues to operate. Also by turning off the heat, that is, by opening the switch at 21, it is readily demonstrated that a great deal of heat which is absorbed by the walls of the casings l and 2 and other parts may be utilized to heat air. Therefore, it is readily demonstrated to the prospective purchaser of a furnace that the fan attachment thereto serves to keep down excessive temperatures in the furnace, that it utilizes all of the heat produced for heating air to be moved to the rooms where the heat is useful, and not merely heat the air in the basement, and also that the heat generated by the furnace may be more quickly supplied to the rooms to be heated with the use of the fan attachment than without it.

In utilizing the device as a room heater exactly the same procedure is followed. The air enters cold through the boots l2 and openings I4, is heated by the source of heat at 23 and is blown outwardly through the outlets at 28a into a room, very quickly elevating the temperature of the room. Likewise, the quick utilization of the entire amount of heat occurs.

.The .constructiondevised has proven exceptionally useful in demonstrating the utility of the air propelling fan. as an. adjunct or accessory to a hot .air furnace. The .detachabilit of the dome at the upper end of the device is of value, permitting ready assembly of the parts and also readyaccessibility for any repair thereof, for replacement of heating coils and the like.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all ,forms of structure coming Within their scope.

I claim:

, .1.. A device of the class described comprising, an outside casing, a bottom therefonan electric heating appliance mounted on and extending above the bottom, a detachable top closing the upper end of the casing, said top having depending sides, a baffle: .of annular shape fastened to said depending sides below the top, a supporting bracket depending from the top, to a point below the baffle, a motor mounted on the bracket, a fan mounted :on the shaft of the motor, said fan being located in the plane .of the baflle, said top having outlet openings for expelling air on rotation of the fan and :said casing having .air inlet openings near the lower end thereof, and means for electrically connecting said motor and said heating appliance with a source of electric current. I e

2. A device of the class described comprising, an outside casing, abottom therefor, an electric heating appliance mounted on and extending above the bottom, a detachable top closing the upper end of the casing, said top having depending sides, a-motor, a fan mounted uponthe shaft of the motor, means for attaching the motor onto the said detachable top, bafile means located in the-plane of the fan and extending outwardly to prevent by-passing of the air around the fan, said top having an .outlet opening for expelling air during rotation of the fan and saidcasing having an air inlet opening near the lower end thereof and means for electrically connecting said motor and said heating appliance with a source of electric current.

3. In a device of the class described, an outside sheet metal casing, an inside sheet metal casing spaced a short distance from the outside casing, means for supporting the inside casing Within the outer casing to locate the same at its lower end a distance above the lower end of said outer casing, whereby air may'circulate therebetween, a bottom closing the lower end of the outside casing, an electric heating coil mounted on and extending above the bottom, said coil being located entirely above a horizontal plane passing through the lower end of the inner casing, said outside casing at its lower end having air inlet openings located entirely below the lower end of the inside casing, a detachable top closing the upper end of the outside casing, an electric motor located below the top, means for suspending said motor from and carrying the same on said top, a fan secured to the shaft of the motor, and electric circuits with switches therein, one for the coil and one for the motor for connecting the same with a source of electric current, each of said switches being independently manually operable.

4. The combination of the elements defined in claim 3, said outside casing at one side thereof near its upper portion having a horizontally located inwardly extending support and said inner casing having an opening in longitudinal alinement with said support, whereby a thermometer may be inserted through said opening and carried by said support.

, LYLE E. SPENCER. 

